Utah’s John Marino day-to-day with upper-body injury

Utah Hockey Club defenseman John Marino is sidelined on a day-to-day basis due to an upper-body injury, Utah head coach Andre Tourigny confirmed Monday per Belle Fraser of the The Salt Lake Tribune.

Facing the Central Division rival Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, Marino left midway through the final frame and did not return after taking a puck to the head.

Through 35 appearances with Utah this season, Marino has scored once and added 13 assists for 14 points coupled with two penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. With it, Marino has averaged 21:10 in time on ice per game, tops among all Utah skaters behind only fellow blue-liner Mikhail Sergachev. Skating in his first season with the NHL’s newest franchise, Marino made his season debut in mid-January following offseason back surgery.

On the second day of the 2024 NHL Draft, Utah acquired Marino from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2024 second rounder plus a second-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft. Per PuckPedia, Marino is in the fourth year of a six-year contract that carries a $4.4-million annual average value.

Originally chosen by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Marino has totaled 363 career contests with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Devils, and Utah in which he has collected 19 goals and 102 assists for 121 points. The 27-year-old native of North Easton, Mass., has also added six points through 29 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With Marino sidelined, he joins an injured list in Utah that already counts forward Liam O’Brien and veteran defenseman Juuso Valimaki.

On the season, Utah stands 35-30-12 and nine points back of the Minnesota Wild for the second wildcard seed in the Western Conference. Following Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Jets, Utah will try for its second-straight victory when the club returns to the ice Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken.